Housings for portable notebook or clamshell-style computers are often made from a number of plastic panels or sections that are assembled onto a base frame. The base frame may be structured to retain and attach together the computer's internal components. Such internal components can include a printed circuit board that carries the computer's central processor and any additional processors such as for graphics or the like as well as the computer's random-access memory (RAM). Additional components may include batteries, input devices such as a keyboard and trackpad or the like, storage memory (such as a hard drive, solid-state drive, or the like, communications devices (such as for WiFi connection and networking), removable memory devices (such as CD- or DVD-R/W drives), and structures for external peripheral connections.
In such frame-based housing structures, all components can be affixed to the base frame, which itself can be made up of several different parts. The components of the housing are in turn attached to the frame to provide a somewhat uniform external appearance and to provide protection for the internal components. In a notebook (or clamshell) configuration, the arrangement just described can make up a base unit that is configured to rest on a surface. Another assembly in the form of a display portion, or display, housing can be attached to the base housing by a hinge. The display portion can include a video display, which can be in the form of a LCD panel with various forms of backlighting associated therewith. Similar to the base housing, the display (and any other components also included within the lid housing) can be affixed to another frame to which other housing sections or panels are affixed to enclose the display portion. The hinge can be attached to both the frame of the display portion and the frame of the base with portions thereof extending through openings between or within the housing sections or panels.
The hinged attachment between the base and the display portion can allow the computer to be moved between open and closed configurations. The closed configuration being such that the display portion is positioned against the base with the display and input devices positioned internally of the housing units for protection thereof during transportation. In the open configuration, the display is viewable and the input devices are accessible to the user. The display portion can be rotated through a range of positions to provide for comfortable viewing of the display.
Such housing configurations can be complicated to assemble and to disassemble for repair or maintenance reasons due to the complicated nature of attaching multiple housing components to the frame. Further, they can be bulky due to the number of components and the complex assembly patterns required. Further, the number of joints or connections between components can provide a number of potential failure areas that can reduce the overall strength and protection provided by such housings. Additionally, because of the various ways in which the multiple panels are assembled together, repair or replacement of one component, such as the keyboard for example, can require removal of a number of components, some of which may also be attached to the display portion, requiring removal thereof or removal of other additional components or sub-assemblies. These configurations can also be visually unappealing, due to the number of separate components used and due to the gaps there between, which can expose fasteners, tabs or the like. This can be particularly noticeable, for example, around the keyboards used in such computer assemblies.